Reveille in Washington: 1860-1865

by Margaret Leech

Margaret Leech's 1941 masterwork, Reveille in Washington:
1860-1865, presents the Civil War from the unique viewpoint of
Washington, D.C. According to one reviewer, Ms. Leech's Washington is more
than just the seat of government. "It was a southern city in which loyal
men labored to save the Union while secessionist neighbors openly jeered
at their
efforts. It was at once a seat of bumbling bureaucracy, a training
ground for raw recruits, a giant hospital, the habitat of Confederate spies,
and, finally, the scene for the assassination of the one man who might have
diminished the residue of the war's bitterness."

Within the pages of this book, you will make acquaintance with politicians,
soldiers, prostitutes, spies, and scoundrels. You'll watch an endless parade
of generals strut across the national stage, only to see their wounded and
broken armies stream into the city's hospitals weeks later. You may find
yourself wondering how the North managed to win the war at all.

At the center of this tale is Abraham Lincoln. Besieged by office-seekers
and sometimes questioning the loyalty of his own cabinet, Lincoln perserveres
to lead his nation to victory. You'll cheer when Ms. Leech describes Lincoln's
first meeting with Ulysses Grant at the White House in 1864: "Wild cheers
shook the crystal chandeliers, as ladies and gentleman rushed on [Grant]
from all sides. Laces were torn, and crinolines mashed ... At last, General
Grant was forced to mount a crimson sofa. He stood there bashfully shaking
the thrusting hands that wanted to touch success and glory -- Donelson,
Vicksburg, Chattanooga -- personified in a slovenly little soldier, with
a blushing, scared face." Ms. Leech's story of Lincoln's
assassination, and the subsequent trial and execution of the conspirators,
is riveting.

Superbly written and meticulously researched, this Pulitzer prize-winning
book is must reading for every Civil War enthusiast and anyone interested
in the history of Washington, D.C.

Reveille in Washington: 1860-1865 is available in paperback
from Carroll and Graf. Want to order online? Contact
www.amazon.com.